GLBR Mental Health Partnership Tackles Stigma and Promotes Mental Well-Being at Work
Millions of Americans living with mental health challenges face the stigma – social discrimination and rejection that affects friendships, families, and work environments.
The Great Lakes Bay Region Mental Health Partnership associated with the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance, the Michigan Alliance for Improving Health (MiHIA), and THRIVE (Transforming regional health in a dynamic economy) to launch a set of new programs aimed at tackling stigma, raising awareness of mental health in the region and improving access to care.
The initiatives include the publication of Owner’s Guide to Creating and Implementing a Mental Health Program, the iMatter Anti-Stigma Campaign and the expansion of 211/ Michigan Hope Portal Information Services for Mental Health Care Providers.
The owner’s guide includes detailed practical recommendations on the changes company directors can make to improve access to mental health care while having a lasting positive impact on company culture.Approximately 1 of 5 Adult Americans live with mental illness, with conditions ranging from common depression and anxiety to schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder, among others. Despite the prevalence of mental illness, people living with the conditions often feel uncomfortable revealing their diagnosis to friends and colleagues. When ill, people with mental illness generally do not receive the welfare extended to those suffering from physical illnesses. Too often, lingering stigma means mental illness is simply not being talked about.
Guide helps business owners create a healthy work culture
JW Fisher is President of Fisher Companies and Chairman of the Executive Team of the Great Lakes Bay Region Mental Health Partnership.In the workplace, a culture of secrecy surrounding mental health can exacerbate human resource and insurance policy issues, making it difficult for people living with mental illness to get the support they need to do so. their work. JW Fisher, president of Fisher Companies and chairman of the Great Lakes Bay Region Mental Health Partnership leadership team, experienced this at his company after seeing employees with mental health issues ostracized and excluded by other workers .
After attending a mental health convention hosted by the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance, Fisher decided to tackle the problem directly through a series of company policies directly related to its safety and health programs. existing well-being. While participating in a task force launched at the summit, Fisher used an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) model to expand health care coverage to include counseling sessions for employees and families. Company health insurance covers employee mental health expenses in the same way as those incurred for any other health problem.
“Actions to increase coverage, resources, access and community conversations in mental health to eliminate stigma are a good start to addressing mental health in our region,” said Fisher. “Providing employers with tools to help their employees is a good start in the effort to increase access to care. “
The Great Lakes Bay Region Mental Health Partnership, which supports the THRIVE initiative, the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance and MiHIA, used the task force’s knowledge and the applied experience of Fisher companies to create the Owner’s Guide to Creating and Implementing a Mental Health Program. Adapted from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Toolkit for good work, the guide provides step-by-step instructions for employers to develop and administer a workplace mental health support framework.
About 1 in 5 adult Americans live with a mental illness, with conditions ranging from common depression and anxiety to schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder, among others.The Owner’s Guide includes detailed, practical recommendations on changes business administrators can make to improve access to mental health care while having a lasting positive impact on corporate culture. Business owners can take the APA’s self-assessment to determine areas where improvements are needed. Also available is a sample mental health launch presentation that employers can use to launch new measures in the workplace.
“We hope this honestly takes like wildfire and that businesses across the region continue to make the changes they need to support the mental health of their employees,” said Matt Samocki, Ed.D., portfolio manager at THRIVE and management team. member of the Great Lakes Bay Area Mental Health Partnership. “Each company can decide and adapt to what extent it wants to address and make changes within its company to support its employees. “
Breaking the silence around mental illness
The Great Lakes Bay Region Mental Health Partnership IMatter Anti-Stigma Campaign hopes to foster an active dialogue around mental health in Mid-Michigan. The group compiled segments of storytelling in video form and articles from a group of local people living with mental illness. Several participants are well known in the local community.
IMatter speakers show that a diagnosis of mental illness does not represent the end of a life story, detailing how the unique challenges of these conditions can be overcome.IMatter storytellers represent a variety of professions, ages, and mental health issues. In one episode, a man gives a powerful testimony to being a childhood abuse survivor. In another, a mother talks about her experience with Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder (PMAD), offering hope to other mothers. These speakers show that a diagnosis of mental illness does not represent the end of a life story, detailing how the unique challenges of these conditions can be overcome.
The campaign also includes a toolkit for K-12 teachers, school districts and counselors aimed at raising awareness and accepting mental illness. Contact cards and washroom posters with mental wellness and acceptance messages as well as the SAMHSA mental health helpline number are also available.
The Great Lakes Bay Region Mental Health Partnership plans to make the iMatter campaign an ongoing compilation of various stories of lived experiences with mental health. Participants have the option of posting their story, leaving it unpublished, or even requesting that it be removed from the website in the future if life circumstances change.
Matt Samocki is Portfolio Director at THRIVE and a member of the Executive Team of the Great Lakes Bay Region Mental Health Partnership.“The videos are very different, and they are very open and honest, genuine and raw,” says Samocki. “They also have a message of hope. What we want is for more people to come forward and share their stories. We really want to provide an open door for people to connect with us. “
As part of a comprehensive approach to improving mental health in the region, the Great Lakes Bay Region Mental Health Partnership will work with 211 and the Michigan Portal of Hope provide additional resources to improve the well-being of mental health care providers. The material will focus on health issues specific to providers, including burnout, compassion, fatigue, bereavement and secondary collateral trauma.
Additional information on the Great Lakes Bay Area Mental Health Partnership programs and links to other mental health resources are available on the Partnership’s website. website.
